Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a diverse group of over 4,000 different compounds. Since the 1940s, PFAS have been manufactured and used around the globe, including in the United States. PFAS are resistant to chemical and thermal breakdown and impart stain and water-resistance properties, making them useful for a variety of commercial applications, but also persistent in the environment. Many PFAS are surfactants and can be a constituent of aqueous film-forming foams used to fight hydrocarbon fires. PFAS have been used in nonstick coatings for consumer products (water-repellent fabrics, food packaging, nonstick cooking surfaces) and in industrial activities including metal plating and fluoropolymer and plastic production, among others. PFAS are very persistent in the environment, and some PFAS are known to accumulate over time in the human body and in the food chain. Exposure to some PFAS has been linked to adverse human and ecosystem health effects.
Activities in the New England Water Science Center (WSC) span research on fate, transport, exposure, and effects of PFAS. On Cape Cod, the New England WSC has a long-term research site where ongoing activities investigate the persistence and transport of PFAS and PFAS precursors, temporal trends, diverse contaminant mixtures, groundwater discharge ecosystem buffers, surface-water/groundwater interactions, sewage effects, fish impacts, and human exposure implications.
Several studies have also been undertaken to investigate PFAS in streams and soils with cooperators including the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
The New England WSC has contributed to several regional and national USGS efforts related to PFAS, including co-authoring a publication on the USGS strategic science vision for PFAS, and large scale sampling and analysis of PFAS in groundwater.
USGS Laboratory for the Analysis of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)
Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Integrated Science Team
Advanced PFAS Measurement Methods
National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA)
What factors predict PFAS contamination in groundwater?
Chemical and Engineering News article about the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water-Quality Assessment Project study in the eastern part of the country.
Access all USGS publications in the Publications Warehouse
The Pubs Warehouse provides access to over 170,000 publications written by USGS scientists over the century-plus history of the bureau.
- Overview
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a diverse group of over 4,000 different compounds. Since the 1940s, PFAS have been manufactured and used around the globe, including in the United States. PFAS are resistant to chemical and thermal breakdown and impart stain and water-resistance properties, making them useful for a variety of commercial applications, but also persistent in the environment. Many PFAS are surfactants and can be a constituent of aqueous film-forming foams used to fight hydrocarbon fires. PFAS have been used in nonstick coatings for consumer products (water-repellent fabrics, food packaging, nonstick cooking surfaces) and in industrial activities including metal plating and fluoropolymer and plastic production, among others. PFAS are very persistent in the environment, and some PFAS are known to accumulate over time in the human body and in the food chain. Exposure to some PFAS has been linked to adverse human and ecosystem health effects.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.New Hampshire landscape in winter. A soil sampling site at Otter Brook State Park, managed by the Army Corps of Engineers.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.U.S. Geological Survey hydrologic technician collects a sample of soil affected by Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS).
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.U.S. Geological Survey boat used for PFAS sampling on Ashumet Pond, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Activities in the New England Water Science Center (WSC) span research on fate, transport, exposure, and effects of PFAS. On Cape Cod, the New England WSC has a long-term research site where ongoing activities investigate the persistence and transport of PFAS and PFAS precursors, temporal trends, diverse contaminant mixtures, groundwater discharge ecosystem buffers, surface-water/groundwater interactions, sewage effects, fish impacts, and human exposure implications.
Several studies have also been undertaken to investigate PFAS in streams and soils with cooperators including the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
The New England WSC has contributed to several regional and national USGS efforts related to PFAS, including co-authoring a publication on the USGS strategic science vision for PFAS, and large scale sampling and analysis of PFAS in groundwater.
USGS Laboratory for the Analysis of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)
The U.S. Geological Survey laboratory for the analysis of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) uses cutting-edge techniques to analyze environmental samples including tissues, plasma, water, and soils to undertake and support research projects across the country. PFAS are emerging contaminants of concern that can be found in air, rain, lakes, rivers, groundwater, soils, and in products we use every day, like non-stick pans and popcorn bags. PFAS exposure has been associated with a variety of human and ecosystem health effects, making it very important to have good analytical methods to ensure the data is of the highest quality. This short video outlines the types of research questions the laboratory works towards addressing and briefly outlines some of the techniques employed to ensure high-quality data is generated. - Science
Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Integrated Science Team
Increasing scientific and public awareness of the widespread distribution of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in U.S. drinking-water supplies, aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, wildlife, and humans has raised many public health and resource management questions that U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) science can inform. The USGS Environmental Health Program's PFAS Integrated Science Team...Advanced PFAS Measurement Methods
Environmental Health Program scientists, in collaboration with other USGS scientists, are developing complementary field and laboratory methods and capabilities to detect and quantify a range of target and nontarget per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and indicator compounds at low levels (parts per trillion) in a variety of environmental matrices. The PFAS Integrated Science Team is...National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA)
Our surface water, groundwater, and aquatic ecosystems are priceless resources, used by people across the Nation for drinking, irrigation, industry, and recreation. The National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project is a leading source of scientific data and knowledge for development of science-based policies and management strategies to improve and protect our water resources. - Data
- Multimedia
- Publications
What factors predict PFAS contamination in groundwater?
Chemical and Engineering News article about the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water-Quality Assessment Project study in the eastern part of the country.
Access all USGS publications in the Publications Warehouse
The Pubs Warehouse provides access to over 170,000 publications written by USGS scientists over the century-plus history of the bureau.
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